Adornment – the enhancement of one’s appearance through garments, jewellery, weapons, attributes, grooming and perfuming, etc – is a deep-rooted tradition in cultural, societal and religious groups around the world. It can signify many things, including economic status, profession, religious beliefs, educational level, nationality and aesthetic sensibility.
In an exhibition that opened at Warehouse421 on Saturday, and closes on August 27, the wide-ranging significance of adornment in Emirati culture is explored in an original and compelling way.
It shows how this universal inclination to adorn is expressed in a truly Emirati manner through heirloom and patriotic jewellery, Bedouin weapons, burqa, garments, henna, khol and perfumes.
As an Emirati woman, the process of adornment has important meaning to me when I recall both ordinary and celebratory occasions. As a girl I remember admiring my mother wearing traditional attire and jewellery for family weddings and Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha.
Working on this exhibition, I realise how deeply connected I am with other Emirati families through shared memories and experiences around adornment, past and present.
The Lest We Forget: Emirati Adornment: Tangible & Intangible exhibition, supported by the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation, is special to me because it explores the richness of tangible and intangible Emirati culture through modes of adornment on a personal level. The exhibition aims to collect authentic archival material and showcase artistic work created by emerging Emirati artists based on the Lest We Forget Archive. Designed to explore cultural heritage through vernacular memories, the book and exhibition examine who we are and where we came from, as well as valuable knowledge and skills that have been passed down from generation to generation.
Through a display of diverse objects brought to life by memories and reflections, the exhibition is thought-provoking. It sheds light on the identity of the people who created, wore and shared these precious, personal, tangible and intangible forms of adornment.
When heritage such as this is gathered and seen as a whole in the exhibition and book, one comes to understand and appreciate the complexity and beauty of Emirati adornment. To me, it is both profound and inspiring, as it highlights the importance of passing down cultural heritage from generation to generation in order to keep our traditions alive.
I am so proud to see the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation supporting grassroots initiatives like Lest We Forget, as together we are able to forge new and exciting ways to keep Emirati culture alive and accessible to all generations.
Echoing the foundation’s principle that knowledge and culture build bridges to understanding, it is also significant that initiatives such as Lest We Forget allow the Emirati community to share our rich culture with the broad range of nationalities who call the UAE their home.
It is these cultural bridges that both bind and strengthen us as a “united” nation, and it is these strong values of humility, respect and a shared sense of pride that ultimately lead to greater cultural understanding around the world.
I firmly believe that our culture is here to be shared. We welcome people of all ages, nationalities and cultures from across the Emirates to visit the exhibition, to share in our endeavour of passing on knowledge of Emirati culture, and to ultimately reflect on the shared society that we live in today.
Safiya Al Maskari is the project coordinator of the Lest We Forget initiative. Visit www.warehouse421.ae for details.
If you have a good story to tell or an interesting issue to debate, contact Amanda Tomlinson on atomlinson@thenational.ae.
Company%20Profile
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'Cheb%20Khaled'
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Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Where to apply
Applicants should send their completed applications - CV, covering letter, sample(s) of your work, letter of recommendation - to Nick March, Assistant Editor in Chief at The National and UAE programme administrator for the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism, by 5pm on April 30, 2020.
Please send applications to nmarch@thenational.ae and please mark the subject line as “Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism (UAE programme application)”.
The local advisory board will consider all applications and will interview a short list of candidates in Abu Dhabi in June 2020. Successful candidates will be informed before July 30, 2020.
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Bah
Born: 1972
Husband: Emirati lawyer Salem Bin Sahoo, since 1992
Children: Soud, born 1993, lawyer; Obaid, born 1994, deceased; four other boys and one girl, three months old
Education: BA in Elementary Education, worked for five years in a Dubai school
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The drill
Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.
Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”
Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”
Pull your weight, says Thuymi Do: “To do what we do, there definitely can be no lazy member of the team.”
The 100 Best Novels in Translation
Boyd Tonkin, Galileo Press
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Naga
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ABU%20DHABI'S%20KEY%20TOURISM%20GOALS%3A%20BY%20THE%20NUMBERS
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How England have scored their set-piece goals in Russia
Three Penalties
v Panama, Group Stage (Harry Kane)
v Panama, Group Stage (Kane)
v Colombia, Last 16 (Kane)
Four Corners
v Tunisia, Group Stage (Kane, via John Stones header, from Ashley Young corner)
v Tunisia, Group Stage (Kane, via Harry Maguire header, from Kieran Trippier corner)
v Panama, Group Stage (Stones, header, from Trippier corner)
v Sweden, Quarter-Final (Maguire, header, from Young corner)
One Free-Kick
v Panama, Group Stage (Stones, via Jordan Henderson, Kane header, and Raheem Sterling, from Tripper free-kick)
MANDOOB
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PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Watford v Leicester City (3.30pm)
Brighton v Arsenal (6pm)
West Ham v Wolves (8.30pm)
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (10.45pm)
Sunday
Newcastle United v Sheffield United (5pm)
Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)
Everton v Liverpool (10pm)
Monday
Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)
UAE Tour 2020
Stage 1: The Pointe Palm Jumeirah - Dubai Silicon Oasis, 148km
Stage 2: Hatta - Hatta Dam, 168km
Stage 3: Al Qudra Cycle Track - Jebel Hafeet, 184km
Stage 4: Zabeel Park - Dubai City Walk, 173km
Stage 5: Al Ain - Jebel Hafeet, 162km
Stage 6: Al Ruwais - Al Mirfa, 158km
Stage 7: Al Maryah Island - Abu Dhabi Breakwater, 127km
Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier
UAE results
Beat China by 16 runs
Lost to Thailand by 10 wickets
Beat Nepal by five runs
Beat Hong Kong by eight wickets
Beat Malaysia by 34 runs
Standings (P, W, l, NR, points)
1. Thailand 5 4 0 1 9
2. UAE 5 4 1 0 8
3. Nepal 5 2 1 2 6
4. Hong Kong 5 2 2 1 5
5. Malaysia 5 1 4 0 2
6. China 5 0 5 0 0
Final
Thailand v UAE, Monday, 7am
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
A Prayer Before Dawn
Director: Jean-Stephane Sauvaire
Starring: Joe Cole, Somluck Kamsing, Panya Yimmumphai
Three stars